Cab-booking applications, GrabTaxi and Hailo successfully filed for registration in the Singaporean government to operate as a third-party taxi-booking mobile application. The certificates are valid starting Dec 1, 2015 up to three years; after this, both companies will have to file for renewal.
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority grants certificates only to transportation with professional drivers, and the applications must have more than 20 participating taxis. This is in accordance to the country’s Third-Party Taxi Booking Service Providers Act.
Information such as fare rates, fees, and booking charges must be specified before users accept rides, and they can have the option to reject if charges go over their limit. The app cannot require users to specify destination to avoid cherry-picking from drivers. Lastly, users can indicate special needs such as wheelchair or bulky luggage.
Taxi-booking applications that operate in Singapore without certificates from the government can be fined up to $10,000, imprisoned for up to six months, or both.The LTA is currently reviewing applications from other cab-booking services including UberTaxi by Uber, Karhoo, MoobiTaxi and ConnexTaxi. Application from PairTaxi has been rejected as its fare model did not meet Singapore’s fare charging conditions.
